The production of ice for consumer consumption is a major industry. Consumers require ice for drinks, ice chests, refrigeration, etc. Typical ice production requires the use of an ice maker that disposes ice into a storage bin. The ice is then bagged by hand. The bags of ice are then stacked into a freezer. The bags can then be retrieved from the freezer by users.
In the retail business, many times the bags of ice are delivered to the store site. A freezer, located at the retail business, will store the bags of ice. Hence, these prior art devices require that the ice maker and the dispenser (freezer) be separate. The separation of the ice maker and freezer leads to many problems, including but not limited to transportation, inadequate inventory, time delivery problems, wet slippery floors, etc.
Some prior art devices have attempted to locate the ice maker and the dispenser in one unit and locate the dispenser at the retail site. However, these prior art devices have had many problems. For instance, if the device is in a retail establishment and the device develops a problem, the employees of the retail establishment have no expertise in repairing the device. Additionally, these prior art devices have been unreliable in their attempt to automate the process due to the numerous cooperating components. For example, during the bagging process, the ice can bridge thereby effectively halting the placement of the ice into the bags. Therefore, there is a need for a device that can break up the ice so it can be packaged without clumps. There is also a need for an apparatus that can operate autonomously. Additionally, there is a need for a device that will collect information regarding the production of ice, and reliably store and report that information to a remote location. These needs, as well as many others, will be met by the herein described invention.